Why does the news demonize technology and games?

[Feba]

As far as I can see, there's two possible reasons: First, they don't understand it themselves. Two, their audience doesn't understand it, and they know they can exploit that to scare people.

I just want to hear what other people think.

The other day, I saw a report on CNN about how a 'hacker' was using file sharing programs to 'steal people's fiancial info and identities', etc, and I'm honestly willing to bet these are the fuckwits that set limewire to cover everything, including personal documents, not something that takes any intelligence to 'hack'.

[Taskmage]

Re: Why does the news demonize technology and games?

A little of column A and a little of column B I think.

[Xalioniaf]

Re: Why does the news demonize technology and games?

Aged teachers used to tell me that the public used to think movies were sin on earth, and that they would destroy society. But now they're dead.

[WovenDarkness]

Re: Why does the news demonize technology and games?

As far as I can see, there's two possible reasons: First, they don't understand it themselves. Two, their audience doesn't understand it, and they know they can exploit that to scare people.

*Ding*

IMHO, I don't think that everything is done to scare people, but instead(some) to mold public opinion. As trite as it is to say, the vast majority of people have a "sheep" mentality, and are in fact, sheep.

Another example of demonization and public opinion molding:

Turn on the news on any given night and odds are you are going to see a report on gun violence. It doesn't matter if it was a murder, a hold up, or a shoot out. Guns and violence are linked. Most rational people know that violence for criminal purposes is wrong. But hey, bad people are bad people...and they have guns. ...and that's bad. Let's take away guns. ...and then there won't be any more gun violence. The concept, while pure, is well.....stupid. It targets the inanimate object instead of the living, breathing, decision making organism. You can get rid of the perceived problem (gun), but you still have the violence.


...I suppose that it also doesn't help that humans are conditioned to expect the news to be "bad". ...that's generally all that the new reports. The last good thing that I heard on the news was a story that didn't involve human intrest, but instead, a cute story about an animal. ...and then they moved onto the weather.......

[Karinya]

Re: Why does the news demonize technology and games?

It's very simple: the more time, money and attention people spend on these newfangled electronic gadgets, the less time, money and attention they spend on newspapers and magazines. The same thing applies to the Internet and video games in relation to TV. Therefore, the print media are always concerned about how TV, the Internet and video games make everyone dumber, and TV media say the Internet and video games will make your kids into serial killers.

I bet stable owners talked trash about cars, too. But people didn't notice as much because they didn't own mass media organizations.

(Not to say that cars - or the Internet for that matter - don't have some flaws. But the biased perspective still has an effect on the message.)

Once you stop thinking that news organizations are trying to report the truth, it's much easier to understand their actions. Telling the audience what they want to hear (true or not), sucking up to people/corporations in power, covering their own ass... explains a lot, doesn't it?

[Sabaron]

Re: Why does the news demonize technology and games?

There's something a bit more than that. It is the fact that our games are designed to quiet us and remove our desire to interact with the real world. Games encourage children to learn, they allow adults to unwind, and they sharpen the mind, but in their more sinister aspect they also cow you into submission.

Caesar gave the Romans their "bread and games" and it kept them peaceful. People who are bored tend to think too much about what might be wrong with their society. People who are starving will disobey the law in order to survive. Games focus your mind on novel problems and questions that have very little real-world importance (e.g. "Should I buy the Dusk Ledelsens or go for the Kirin's Osode?").

Games are sinister. Taken to extremes they could destroy society as we know it (refer to Simsense for those who are familiar with Shadowrun or other future-oriented RPGs, Holodecks from Star Trek, etc.)

[DakAttack]

Re: Why does the news demonize technology and games?

Because of video games my self esteem is almost entirely reliant on numbers.

Don't I have any qualities that aren't quantities?

[Taskmage]

Re: Why does the news demonize technology and games?

There's something a bit more than that. It is the fact that our games are designed to quiet us and remove our desire to interact with the real world. Games encourage children to learn, they allow adults to unwind, and they sharpen the mind, but in their more sinister aspect they also cow you into submission.
Caesar gave the Romans their "bread and games" and it kept them peaceful. People who are bored tend to think too much about what might be wrong with their society. People who are starving will disobey the law in order to survive. Games focus your mind on novel problems and questions that have very little real-world importance (e.g. "Should I buy the Dusk Ledelsens or go for the Kirin's Osode?").
Games are sinister. Taken to extremes they could destroy society as we know it (refer to Simsense for those who are familiar with Shadowrun or other future-oriented RPGs, Holodecks from Star Trek, etc.)

Bread and circuses is the more common rendering of the phrase. But it's always been like that. Keep the people fed and happy and they won't complain. You can criticize any other form of entertainment in the same way. People at my work are always going on about football: latest scores, trades, player drama, their fantasy football conquests. Is football a sinister force out to destroy civilization? Was television? Elizibethan plays? The Roman colosseum?

Or were you being satirical?

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: Why does the news demonize technology and games?

Don't I have any qualities that aren't quantities?

All qualities are quantities.

If not now, eventually we'll find a way to quantify just everything we care about.

[Feba]

Re: Why does the news demonize technology and games?

actually earlier today I realized I might just be a chat bot. My entire life could just be a simulation, or a creation of my AI.

I'm scared, honestly, because it actually seems fairly likely.

[Eiyoko]

Re: Why does the news demonize technology and games?

Something similar to this mess happened at the high school I used to go to. You see, kids were using Cell Phones to text message each other all the damn time - in class or not (they have no idea how expensive text messaging can be anyway - spoiled brats). At first, there was only a rule against using them in class, but then the Calcasieu Parish School Board got fed up beyond all reason and BANNED THEM FROM CAMPUS. Literally, in every way. If they found one in your car in the parking lot even, they would confiscate it. Seriously, they thought this would solve the problem. It helped, but not by much (many of the kids in my school were morons.)

(Ironically enough, we had a power outage one day that year, and suddenly the announcements came on and the Principal said, "Everyone that has Cell Phones may now use them." What's with that?)

[Sabaron]

Re: Why does the news demonize technology and games?

Bread and circuses is the more common rendering of the phrase. But it's always been like that. Keep the people fed and happy and they won't complain. You can criticize any other form of entertainment in the same way. People at my work are always going on about football: latest scores, trades, player drama, their fantasy football conquests. Is football a sinister force out to destroy civilization? Was television? Elizibethan plays? The Roman colosseum?

Or were you being satirical?

Actually I wasn't necessarily referring to "video games" as such but "entertainment" (i.e. Circuses) in general. And yes, I was thinking that games sounded a bit off, but I couldn't remember what the correct word was. Basically, all of the things you mentioned fit under the same umbrella--they are simply "different strokes for different folks". Some people love to watch people get murdered (coliseums), some people prefer fake murder (sports), some people prefer fake, fake murder (fantasy football), and some people prefer idle banter about stuff like this (FFXIOnline.com).

It's all the same in that it keeps you in line instead of on the streets complaining about how much your life sucks. Basically the idea is was attempting to project is that:

Anything that you do that does more to keep you idle than increase your perception and participation of the actions of those who seek to use you for their own ends is a "circus".

The people that don't play games are the ones you need to watch out for.

[Caspian]

Re: Why does the news demonize technology and games?

Also, its easy to demonize something and blame society's problems on something most people don't have a lot of experience with. Its always something. It used to be comic books, movies, rock music, television, and rap. Now its the internet and video games. Its much easier to tag something you have nothing to do with as evil than it is to take an introspective look and see if there's anything you can do to better society. It sure as hell can't be a crappy parent's fault that their child is a screw-up. It has to be something else that they can't control.

[Malevolent]

Re: Why does the news demonize technology and games?

As far as I can see, there's two possible reasons: First, they don't understand it themselves. Two, their audience doesn't understand it, and they know they can exploit that to scare people.

You have 2 great answers to your question. I don't think there's any other reason the news demonizes tech, movies, video games, etc...etc... Its just ignorance and pride.

Also tech, video games, movies.... they're all perfect scapegoats

[Mhurron]

Re: Why does the news demonize technology and games?

Look, computers are the tools of the devil. It's as simple as that.